Monday, April 23, 2007

Okay, I'm not really that obsessed with maps, but for the sake of reporting everything I know, I will list a few other free mapping resources.

e-Sword is a fine Bible study program, and it's probably the best free one available. (I also like e-Sword, because it offers a nice, free PocketPC version as well.) For now, I'll simply describe the "Graphics Viewer" included in the program. Once you've downloaded the basic program, you can start to add a variety of Bibles (many free, others for a very reasonable price) and other resources. Among these resources are the "Graphics" which include: very nice maps from the American Bible Society, Classic Maps (I can't determine the date or source), Mediterranean maps which are useful overview maps of the NT world, and a collection of NASA satellite photo-maps. For teaching purposes, the ABS maps are probably the most helpful, but all in all, a great, free resource.

The "Online Bible" is a bit of a misnomer since it is intended to be downloaded and run on your computer. It is another useful free tool that can be expanded with a wide variety of resources which include the "Maps" module found on this linked page. There are 25+ maps, and most of them are identical to the ones found in the Logos Deluxe Map set (which, however, has over 200 maps). Nothing extraordinary but all the basic maps one would most often need.

As I've noted in previous posts, BibleWorks and Logos are the premier WIndows-based programs for biblical studies, and both of them incorporate the excellent NET Bible resource. The NET Bible online--now upgraded online as the NeXt Bible--is also available as a free download and includes their fine collection of maps. Many of the maps are linked to the text in the NeXt Bible, but you can view them all individually online here.